1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a process for the deposition of silicon and/or the formation of a silicon film on various substrates.
2. The Prior Art
Thin film deposition of silicon onto substrates is of tremendous importance to the integrated circuit industry. In particular, the ability to deposit precise silicon film thickness affects the carrier lifetimes and electrical properties of the film. Current state of the art technology utilizes a variety of methods for the deposition of silicon films. The most prevalent include chemical vapor deposition (CVD), sputtering, and molecular beam epitaxy.
Chemical vapor deposition is a gas reaction process in which semiconductive layers are formed by the heat-induced decomposition of selective gases.
Sputtering, a physical deposition method, involves the striking of a target material by energized ions and the subsequent dislodging and deposition of the target atoms.
Molecular beam epitaxy is a technique which uses an electron beam to evaporate and deposit a film one molecular layer at a time. Although these processes are commonly used, the required equipment for these processes is extremely expensive, thereby increasing the costs of the finished product. Further, existing processes use quite dangerous and environmentally unsafe qases.
Accordingly, a more economical and less dangerous process for the deposition and film formation of silicon could reduce the high costs associated with existing deposition processes and facilitate the development of small scale industries at a minimal cost.